An defence official has stated that the MoD is currently investigating the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made vehicles, while staff have been advised to avoid talking about classified information in any cars.
Safety Guidance for Defence Personnel
During a recent interview on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on claims that Ministry of Defence officials have been told not to discuss classified information while riding in Chinese cars.
He stated that the ministry is “looking into” cars from China within its vehicle pools, but stressed that safety is a concern in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the MoD and those vehicles represent a very small number.
However regardless of if you’re traveling in a vehicle from China or a non-Chinese car, what we’ve asked our staff is to avoid connecting Ministry of Defence technology into their vehicle, to avoid having discussions at a secret level in any kind of car, because of the growing risks of surveillance that are present in every single automobile, to only have those secret talks in protected areas. That’s a prudent and sensible thing for anyone concerned about safety.
After it was suggested that it would be wise for the MoD to cease using all Chinese vehicles, the minister responded: ‘That’s exactly what we are looking into at the moment.”
Broader Security Context
The announcement follows claims from Scandinavian countries have alerted the UK to the presence of multi-purpose shutdown mechanisms in Chinese buses, which could allow China to disable public transport and bring disruption to public transit.
Additionally, a Russian spy ship has been shining lasers at Royal Air Force pilots, labeled a “highly dangerous” action by government representatives.
This wider defence environment underscores the importance of strong measures and vigilance in all areas of government activities, including vehicle usage to discussions practices.
